talks + party

party only

The palimpsest lineup

Off the Grid, will host a selection of Australia’s leading environmentalists, architects, activists, entrepreneurs and foodies on the ACCA Forecourt, to participate in a conversational style discussion whilst reinforcing Finding Infinity’s mission to connect and empower the city of Melbourne.

This is not just another conference - The Palimpsest is a platform designed to promote the exchange of ideas and innovations by exploring experts’ visions of future cities and transforming them into micro-action nowisms for you to take with you.

A 'palimpsest' is an ancient document that is rewritten and rewritten, over and over again, constantly evolving - much like cities. We invite you to engage with our speakers to create a user-generated experience, helping to shape the conference in the real-time.

To sweeten the deal, Off the Grid has partnered with the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects to provide Continuing Professional Development points for architects who attend.

Alison Rowe [Moreland Energy Foundation]

Alison Rowe is the CEO of Moreland Energy Foundation Limited, a Melbourne-based organisation with a unique pedigree in community solar and social impact activity. She has been in the sustainability field for over 14 years with global responsibility for strategy development, program design and delivery, product development, consulting, marketing and advocacy. Alison has worked in all three sectors with experience across a range of industries.

Alison is also the Chair of the Future Business Council and recently she was a Non-Executive Director of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council Australia, Climate Alliance and Public Utility Challenge.

She completed the Business and Environment program through Cambridge University, holds an MBA and Postgraduate Diploma in Technology Management and is a Williamson Fellow.

Alison is a respected thought leader and was named Business Leader of the Year by Climate Alliance in 2013.

Amy Roberts [Vege Threads]

Amy is the founder of organic basics label Vege Threads. From both an environmental and ethical perspective, Vege Threads seeks to encourage its audience to think about what truly goes into a piece of clothing. The brand is part of a worldwide movement to place accountability at the heart of manufacturing through local supply chains and brand transparency. Through VT, Amy works on a new business model, bringing together a community of creatives interested in sustainability, as well as good design and style.

clare cousins

Establishing her Melbourne practice, Clare Cousins Architects, in 2005, Clare has since forged a practice recognised for design excellence in residential, cultural, interior and furniture design. Engaged in projects large and small, the studio explores experientially rich architecture that celebrates simple domestic ritual whilst curating newfound relationships with the surrounding context and landscape.

Clare is actively involved in the broader design community and is an inaugural investor in Nightingale, supporting the landmark triple bottom line development model for its social and sustainable benefits. Clare is now undertaking her own Nightingale project.

Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley MBE [City of Melbourne]

Cr Nicolas Frances Gilley first worked in the corporate world of hospitality and stock broking in the United Kingdom. He started the Furniture Resource Centre and built this into the UK’s leading social enterprise organisation, providing assistance and employment opportunities to homeless people. For this, he was awarded the MBE.

In 1996 he was ordained an Anglican priest and two years later he emigrated to Australia where he was the CEO of the Brotherhood of St Laurence from 1998 to 2004. This work earned him an Australian Centenary Medal.

In 2004 Cr Frances Gilley founded and led for-profit environmental and social purpose businesses Easy Being Green and Cool nrg International. These businesses have worked with Governments, the World Bank, UNFCCC, global financial institutions and some of Europe’s leading companies to develop and deliver groundbreaking climate and antipoverty programs globally.

Cr Frances Gilley also works with and advises a range of startups in IT and the arts. He was one of the first 30 social entrepreneurs selected to join the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum. Cr Frances Gilley is Council’s Chair of the Transport portfolio and Deputy Chair of the Aboriginal City portfolio. He is also the Council representative on the Metropolitan Transport Forum.

Courtney Holm [A.BCH]

Courtney is the founder of A.BCH, Australia's first fashion label centred on total transparency in an effort to provide honestly engineered, designer basics for global, conscious citizens. A.BCH provides a simple solution to complex issues within the fashion industry.

From sourcing sustainable fibres, threads and components to advocating local manufacturing, Courtney is passionate about seeing change in the industry for good. Courtney believes that upholding ethical and environmental standards need not be separate from running a profitable business and in fact that social-impact business is the way of the future. A.BCH launched in February 2017.

Ella Saurus [PSYKLZ ClubSport]

Growing up on the southeast coast of Victoria and having a 12 month stint of living solo in the Dandenong Ranges propelled Ella into sustainability, not only in her lifestyle but in her chosen passion too. An RMIT Fashion Design Graduate (2013) and an advocate for the environment, she is one year into her newest project PSYKLZ ClubSport - a socially and environmentally sustainable, zero-waste recycled fashion label. Inspired by her formative years on her parents’ self sustainable property, the co-creation of two of Melbourne’s major club events (Pleasure Planet, BEAUT) and her love of dance and music culture ranging the past 30 years, PSYKLZ (pronounced ‘cycles’) aims to start the conversation about the origins of clothing. By sourcing everything from op-shops, markets and the odd donation, Ella solely creates one-offs that have personality and integrity without the environmental or humanitarian price tag.

Erin Rhoads [The Rogue Ginger]

Erin Rhoads is the curious lady behind The Rogue Ginger, Australia's popular eco-lifestyle website on zero-waste living. A sought-after writer and speaker, Erin has inspired others to think differently about plastic and rubbish, proving that living with less can lead to a happier and healthier life.

JAMES BROWN [MASH]

James Brown is a rule breaker; creating award-winning work internationally. He believes that every project is an opportunity to explore how creativity can shape our existence. Exhibiting his "art-chitecture" and design in the SFMoMA, to bars in Hong Kong to his hand-painted masterpiece, Motel Mexicola in Bali. His colourful restaurant Africola is regarded as one of the best in Australia and he was recognised in GT Top 50 Most Influential People in Food. His goal is to create places that bring people together and contribute to a community with colour, fun, and energy. We love James, you will too.

James Murray-Parkes [brookfield]

James is the director and founder of Scientific. His passion is to ensure that physics is applied at the heart of the design process, thereby introducing efficiencies and helping to reduce the negative impact on the environment. He specialises in unique bespoke designs and mathematical innovations, constantly challenging the status quo.

Jessie Hochberg [Nightingale Housing]

Jessie is a co-founder and CEO of Nightingale Housing - a not-for-profit social enterprise that exists to support, promote and advocate for high-quality housing that is ecologically, socially, financially sustainable. Jessie jumped into the start-up social enterprise space after working across Creative Victoria, as a Senior Policy and Strategy Adviser and within the Strategic Infrastructure Project team.

She's passionate about the opportunity for the emerging democratisation of the financing sector to positively influence the development of urban environments. While working in government, Jessie completed an MBA with Distinction. Jessie has recently spoken and chaired panels at Purpose conference SYD, Remix Conference QLD, Fifth Estate’s Hacking Housing Event SYD.

Joost Bakker [Brothl, SILO]

Joost Bakker is an environmental visionary turning radical ideas into reality. His installations, artworks and pop-up buildings demand attention and spark change. He is known for creating Australia’s first zero-waste cafe (Brothl), ‘Greenhouse’ pop up cafes in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and building fire resistant houses from 100% recyclable materials. His ideas have been widely praised, shared and appropriated all around the world.

Kate Nicolazzo [Positive Charge]

Kate is the Head of Business Development at the Moreland Energy Foundation where she is responsible for finding new ways and new partnerships to help speed up the energy transition to a zero carbon future.Before moving into this exciting role, Kate was the manager of Positive Charge, helping households, schools, businesses and community organisations save money, energy and carbon. Prior to joining the Positive Charge team Kate has worked across the community and private sectors in a variety of roles focused on health, climate change and sustainability in the past 15 years. She was the CEO of the Yarra Energy Foundation and General Manager for Sustainability and Innovation at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She has also spent time managing her own consulting business – specialising in strategic planning and program development for organisations and individuals, achieving great social and environmental outcomes. Kate has also been Treasurer and Secretary for Beyond Zero Emissions and regularly mentors Fellows from the Centre for Sustainability Leadership.

Kristy Richards [The Lab Strategy]

Kristy is an expert in consumer and cultural insight. Working as a brand strategist for the last 14 years, she has had the opportunity to travel the world solving brand challenges.Kristy leads The Lab Strategy’s Annual Cultural Report, which identifies big cultural shifts that are impacting society. This requires her to continuously scan sources of cultural influence to gain new perspectives and ideas that can be leveraged to carve out stronger, more profitable brand futures.

Recently, Kristy has lead cultural pieces on: the evolution of masculinity, what it means to be truly authentic in an increasingly commoditised world and the future of female health and wellness. She also leads The Lab's Big Picture Cultural Conference, which has tackled subjects such as Man vs. Machine.

Linda Kennedy [Future Black]

Linda Kennedy, a Yuin woman from the South Coast of NSW, is the creator of Future Black design studio, established in 2017. With a foundation on Linda's manifesto titled Future Black - Decolonising Design in Australia's Built Environment (2014), her work advocates for and practices an overall shift in design process, design thinking and design practice to place value on Indigenous ways of knowing and doing as an integral priority whereby Country and community come first in all projects of design within the built environment.

Martin Buoncristiani [KPMG]

Martin Buoncristiani is a physicist and applied mathematician working in both academia and industry. His research with NASA focused on energy conversion, laser physics and modeling and simulation of complex systems. His academic research has centered on the propagation of light in complex media and the quantum optical properties of lasers. He was awarded the NASA Public Service Award for significant contributions to NASA’s advanced solid state laser development programs. These varied experiences enable him to analyze complex systems and model them mathematically. He has a passion for innovation and furthering the knowledge of those around him.

Michael Alvisse [Schamburg + Alvisse]

Michael, a sustainable furniture designer with a background in architecture, shares stories of how his very very small business built a niche greening the supply chains of very big businesses like Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and KPMG.His work has been acquired by the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria and the Powerhouse Museum, and exhibited in Milan’s Triennale Museum and Silicon Valley’s San Jose of Modern Art.

Michael Markham [tUG Workshop]

Michael Markham is an architect, born in North Queensland and trained in Chicago in the 1980s. He holds a M.Arch from the University of Illinois, and was awarded the Schiff Prize from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1989. In 1994, back in Australia, he founded FIELD Consultants with Peter Brew—which won both the 2000 RAIA Victorian Architecture Medal and the Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Michael’s own home, Holyoake Cottage. In 2006, Michael, along with Peter Steudle, a chemical engineer, initiated tUG workshop—a group of experts in materials, engineering, history and design, all focused on unsustainable anti-environmentalism. In 2015, tUG won the AIA Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Bethanga House. Michael’s work at both FIELD and tUG has been published in two of Australia’s leading industry journals: Architecture Review and Monument.

Michelle Isles [sustainable solutions]

Michelle Isles is a sustainability actionist focused on cultural change and social movements that affect our shared environment. Michelle has worked with cities across Australia and Asia and in the heart of Melbourne catalysing and facilitating sustainable solutions through city-led engagement programs, leading-edge projects, collective-governance models, finance mechanisms and events that empower citizens to take action. Driven by the challenges advocating for changes to the built environment and inspired by community and business led solutions, in 2015 Michelle commenced a social housing project and enterprise in Perth and aims to explore new models of living with her young family as a resident of The Commons and first-mover in The Cape development.

Michelle draws on training in journalism, cross-cultural communications, policy and law and is guided by what she learns as Co-Chair of Reconciliation Victoria and inspired by what she sees as a Director of Collaborative Philanthropy.

Monique Conheady [Moreland Energy Foundation]

Monique Conheady is an experienced entrepreneur and marketer. She co-founded Flexicar, a car share business she sold to Hertz in 2010. Post the sale of Flexicar, Monique joined the Executive Management Team of Hertz Australia and New Zealand, leading the marketing department.In 2009, she was awarded the Victorian Telstra Business Women Private Sector Award. She is also a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and is an Australia Day Ambassador. Monique is passionate about new ways of doing business that are financially, socially and environmentally sustainable.Monique was previously an Associate of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, and is currently Director of Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and Commissioner at the Taxi Services Commission.Monique holds a Bachelor of Engineering & Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Centre for Sustainability Leadership Fellow.

Prof. Yu Bai (Barry) [Monash University]

Prof. Yu Bai (Barry) received his PhD in Structures from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL, Switzerland. He is currently working in the Department of Civil Engineering of Monash University with both teaching and research roles. His researches look into environmentally friendly construction materials such as fibre composites for structural design and construction, and give focuses on structural fundamentals which feed into modular construction methodologies and multifunctional integration design concepts.

Rob Murray-Leach [Energy Efficiency Council]

Rob has an extensive background in climate change, energy, transport and sustainability, having been an author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review and senior policy expert in the South Australian Government. His academic background from Oxford and Adelaide focussed on behaviour and sustainability, and he has contributed to a number of texts in this field.Founding CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council, Rob now leads the Council’s policy and advocacy activities, working with members and governments to inform the development of robust and cost-effective energy efficiency policies and programs in Australia.

Roj Amedi

Roj Amedi is a writer, editor and strategist. Her work is cross-disciplinary in nature, with experience across public policy, publishing, editorial, marketing and design. She works within the intersection of culture, community and politics.

Taryn Lane [Hepburn Wind]

Taryn Lane is the manager of Australia's first community-owned wind farm Hepburn Wind, a co-operative of just over 2000 members located in Daylesford. The two turbine wind farm generates enough power for over 2000 homes and are leading their local Shire's transition to 100% renewable by 2025. She is passionate about enabling communities to make a positive transition to a clean energy future. In addition she works for Embark Australia mentoring other communities to build their own energy projects as well as developing resources, undertaking research and policy development for various governments. Taryn is a founding director of the Australian Wind Alliance, Chair of the Coalition for Community Energy (C4CE) and was awarded a 2017 Churchill Fellowship.

Timothy Hill [Partners Hill]

Previously director of Donovan Hill, Timothy Hill recently returned to Australia and established Partners Hill to continue participating in building, researching, advocating and teaching. His prior experience in collaborations has yielded the C house, D house, HH House, State Library of Queensland, Santos Place, Cornwall Apartments, Translational Research Institute and the soon to be demolished Neville Bonner Building. Current work with Partners Hill includes the Long House (Daylesford) and with Wilson Architects, the University of Queensland Student Residences Project, for 1200 students (Brisbane). Timothy was Creative Director of the 2007 RAIA National Conference, introducing a more ‘lounge-like’ format and boosting student participation. He has spoken at conference events globally, and consulted, deliberated on juries and taught in most Australian cities. Current preoccupations include non-family housing, post-white-cube galleries, civic landscapes, historical architectural styles and the scope for interior design in Australia.

Off the Grid acknowledges the Boon Wurrung as the traditional owners and sovereign custodians of the land on which ACCA is situated, along with the Wurundjeri and all Kulin Nations, and we extend our respects to their ancestors and elders past and present, and to all First Nations people

Music + art line up

JAY DANIEL (USA)

Jay Daniel has become one of the leading artists in the latest generation of Detroit electronic music-makers. In the five years he has been on the scene, he released the Scorpio Rising EP on Theo Parrish; Sound Signature Records, Karmatic Equations on Kyle Hall’s Wild Oats Music, and featured on Funkineven’s Abyss, all in2014; all while gig-hopping from New York to London, Japan to Australia, and all points in between.In 2015, Jay took it to the next level with the creation of his own record label, WatusiHigh, releasing his first EP, School Dance. 2016 sees him releasing his debut full length “Broken Knowz” via Technicolour, theNinja Tune sub label geared more specifically towards left field house and techno. The nine-track LP "signals a departure from Jay’s previous output says the label. “Disillusioned with the constraints of drum programming, he retreated to his mother’s basement, picked up his drumsticks and started recording into a multi track mixer for the first time.”

CHEE SHIMIZU (JP)

Tokyo based DJ, selector, writer, owner of record shop and several labels, and an authority of obscure records. Chee was one of the first DJs in Japan to introduce experimental disco, cosmic and leftfield sounds to the country’s dancefloors. In 2008, Chee launched his own online record store,’Organic Music’. The store is a meticulous curation of the hard to find, genre-spanning releases that Chee has been introducing to his various audiences over the years, both in Japan and further afield. In 2013, Chee had his first publication “Obscure Sound” book. The disc guide includes 640 record reviews with beautifully composed imagery. In 2015, Chee started his own label ‘17853 Records’. The label is releasing vinyl by borderless artists like Riccardo Sinigaglia in Italy, Synth Sisters, Miyako Koda from Dip In The Pool, and the pioneer of Japanese ambient music Hiroshi Yoshimura. In 2016, Chee launched ‘Japanism’ label with HMV Japan, and released ‘80s obscure Japanese music like Colored Music, Aragon, and compilation album for Better Days label. Chee continues to champion the music of his native Japan. Chee has always maintained his interest in the more experimental end of the musical spectrum.

BEN FESTER

Everyone's a DJ but let's be honest, not everyone is Ben Fester ­ one of the most likeable characters on the Australian circuit and an absolute madman on the decks.With a mutating style of unrelenting quality, Fester has made his mark in esteemed company, supporting Detroit monoliths Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Omar S and Kyle Hall, the Mood Hut massive and top selectors Floating Points and Ben UFO. Denouncing Sydney's inane lockout laws, his regularparties with the Heavenly crew have given hope to the city while you can also hear his hometown commitment every Thursday afternoon on FBI FM, alongside co­host Kato. He's welcomed with open arms across state borders, having played Inner Varnika, three years of Strawberry Fields, legendary Melbourne club The Mercat and Perth leisureplex Connections.

DIANAS

Dianas are Caitlin Moloney, Nathalie Pavlovic and Anetta Nevin, originally from Perth and now firmly planted in Melbourne. First appearing on the live circuit in their hometown in 2013 with freshly learnt instruments and a handful of garage pop songs, the trio write catchy, dreamy songs that take you floating away to another place. A couple more EPs, an album, a brief hiatus and a few lineup changes later - 2017 is seeing the band truly coming into their own. Dianas live show is a raw and driving whirlpool of pulsating drums and siren song vocal harmonies, with interweaving bass and guitar melodies creating a sound that’s both spacey and intricate.

JAALA VS MAN

Refusing to be pinned down to any one trope, Cosima Jaala, in her new incarnation Jaala Vs Man, breathes her own idiosyncratic understanding of music into electronic experimentation. By putting aside the alternative rock sounds of her band Jaala, JVM instead sees her favouring alien and haunting soundscapes. Jaala's trademark poetic caw is layered in and around dissonant compositions that present a burgeoning step in her musical chronology.

KAIIT

Hailing from southeast Melbourne, the young songstress has been singing for as long as she can remember. Born in Papua New Guinea, Kaiit bounced back and forth between Australia and her homeland as a child before her family eventually settled down in Melbourne. She grew up listening to alternative music, with her parents embracing the likes of Pink Floyd. Kaiit is blessed with an enchanting voice that crosses musical boundaries. Her love for jazz and neo-soul is evident in her music, drawing upon inspiration from her idols Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and the contemporary sounds of Noname Gypsy and SZA. Kaiit’s artistic background in both beauty and fashion is apparent in her inimitable style and edgy aesthetic. Her pursuit into music is recent, becoming involved in the Arts Centre Melbourne’s agship hip-hop and urban music mentoring program Dig Deep where she met mentor Momo from Diafrix and began to learn more about the industry.

KRAKATAU

Krakatau was formed by friends James, Tom and Dylan Lieberman in late2010 with a common interest in the free form side of late 60’s/early 70s psychedelic music, progressive rock and keyboard dominated soundtrack music. As time has passed the influences have shifted in direction of long form jazz composition, minimal music and more progressive left field sounds.2016 saw a frenzied obsession with the blistering release of Tharsis Montes/Apogean Tide 12” on Growing Bin Records, after which the self-described ‘totalitarian sci-fi meets public access jazz band' went on to headline Western Australian festival Camp Doogs and tour the east coast in2017. Krakatau has always been a performance-based group that while influenced by a large amount of music from the past, the band apply these influences with a self-aware modern ear that intern helps creates music that’s more thanjust mimicry and simulacra.

TWO STEPS ON THE WATER

Two Steps on the water is an emotion punk band working and creating on Wurundjeri land. Lyrics about front woman June Jones' experience navigating the world as a trans woman with a history of PTSD are whispered, crooned, and screamed over a backdrop of nylon string guitar, violin, organ, bass, and drums. The band has spent the last three years perfecting a live performance that is half tragic, half invigorating, and 100% emotional.

TONI YOTZI

The responsible fire-starter Toni Yotzi’s recent relocation to Melbourne has seen parties across the city get a taste of that West Coast Heat TM .As comfortable soundtracking fine dining as she is a sweaty dance floor, you might hear anything from90s breaks to memphis rap to soft rock. The ever hard working Yotzi has cemented herself as a permanent fixture of Melbourne’s DJ community playing weekly across venues and parties like Lost Weekend, Lazerpig and the Mercat.

Her musical obsession has seen her create the inimitable Deep Doogs sunrise rave atCamp Doogs, Day Woo Sundays and host some of her favourite artists like Noise InMy Head, Kenji Takimi, DJ Nozaki and Zanzibar Chanel.In 2016 Yotzi has provided guest mixes for Cooper Saver’s: Far Away Radio on Dublab Los Angeles, New York’s The Lot Radio and CC Disco’s Smoke & Mirrors with projects on the way for Sanpo Disco and Beanie’s. After presenting on RTRFM’s signature dance, ethno and disco programs for the last 5 years, she’s found a newhome on Triple R Melbourne.

SOMA

SOMA is a dance theatre work that inquires into the notion of an embodied past, considering cultural, social and personal histories and how they influence our present moment. How does the body act as archive? How do our relative histories shape our habitual or performed physicality? How does our physicality in the present shape our memories of the past and intuitions about the future?

Conceived by choreographer/dancer Ogemdi Ude (USA) and composer/sound artist Jack Palmer (Melb), SOMA uses sound and movement as analogy to challenge performers and audiences alike to investigate the stories that bring us into our bodies.

Jack Palmer is a Melbourne based artist, musician and composer working primarily in a digital environment. His work seeks to explore sound and musical sound as a direct means of invoking hidden psychological states. He currently performs and produces music under the moniker Bad Ambulance and collaborates regularly with local and interstate musicians on a variety of sound/music based projects.

Ogemdi Ude is a Nigerian-American choreographer, director, and performer currently based in Melbourne. Her interdisciplinary performance practice uses improvised scoring to generate text and movement that focuses on issues of race, memory, and trauma. She has worked and trained extensively across the mediums of theatre and dance in New York and Berlin.

about

This is a solar powered celebration dedicated to transforming the cities we live in. It’s about flipping the system on its head. We, as humans, are the only barrier delaying the transition to a world based on infinite resources. Not only is this future possible, it is inevitable. Off the Grid will help speed up the shift, but we need your help. Here’s how we plan to do it:

music sounds better

We’ll connect one of the finest sound systems to a battery bank and some solar panels, and assemble a talented crew of artists, musicians and minds to connect technology with creativity. 14 hours of talks, dancing, eating and drinking, without sending a single piece of material to landfill. Sounds impossible right? Be realistic, demand the impossible.

WHEN IT COMES

The time is now. Last year, on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, 1000 people came out to celebrate the future. This summer solstice, the longest day of the year (22 Dec, 2017), we aim to double that number to 2,000. This is a day that all of our ancestors have connected with in one way or another, and we are continuing that tradition. It’s going down at the forecourt of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne.

from the sun

Using all of the profit from Off the Grid, we plan to help power the entire city, one solar project at a time. The power that is generated from the solar project will be sold back to the grid and the money then invested back into more parties. Once the city is 100% renewable, we will give that infrastructure back to the people of Melbourne.

research Partner

sponsored by

Partners

eats + drinks line up

Adam James [Rough Rice]

Adam has been involved in the flavour-making business for over 20 years. He has justreturned to Australian shores after a 9 week Churchill Fellowship ‘world fermentation tour’which took him from monasteries in Korea to the kitchens of Copenhagen with stops inremote villages in China, Italy and Japan along the way.

He set up Rough Rice 4 years ago as a fermentation-based enterprise but soon started doingpop-ups around Tasmania, including regular appearances at MONA and its affiliated festivals.Expect to eat the very best of locally sourced seasonal produce, homemade ferments – and yes, rice.

FRESH FORK CATERING

Paul Mattei ​is the owner and operator of Fresh Fork catering. His passion for food extends to organic, ethical and sustainably sourced produce and combines a flair for creativity and clever design. Paul has extensive knowledge of food in relation to health and wellbeing and lectures on the subject for a number of retreat centres and wellbeing events around Australia. He is also the brains behind many health branded products having worked with companies such as Loving Earth and Botanical Cuisine. RAW PEOPLE is his newest venture with a promise to create the best chocolate bars in the world!!! We can’t wait!!

MILNE’S ZERO WASTE BAR

Back for Off the Grid 2017, Milne’s zero-waste bar will keep the drinks flowing from start till end, all whilst sending nothing to landfill.

STORM IN A TEACUP

Hannah Dupree owns Melbourne based tea company Storm in a Teacup. She loves, learns and shares both Chinese and Japanese style tea ceremony. She regularly travels to origin to learn more about tea in the field and she takes sabbaticals in nature to learn directly from tea as plant medicine. Hannah sees tea and the rituals that surround it, as a complete spiritual practice that creates a reciprocal relationship of love between people, animals, plants and planet. It is a life journey, an art form, a profound way to connect with each other and a container for meaning in our lives today.

COFFEE BY CAM’S

Cam's Kiosk has been quietly making tasty soups, traditional sandwiches and in-season salads since 2009. By day, Cam’s is a favourite coffee bar for locals, while in the evenings, Cam’s turns into a bar, where you can often find tenants having a knock-off drink after work.

about

This is a solar powered celebration dedicated to transforming the cities we live in. It’s about flipping the system on its head. We, as humans, are the only barrier delaying the transition to a world based on infinite resources. Not only is this future possible, it is inevitable. Off the Grid will help speed up the shift, but we need your help. Here’s how we plan to do it:

music sounds better

We’ll connect one of the finest sound systems to a battery bank and some solar panels, and assemble a talented crew of artists, musicians and minds to connect technology with creativity. 14 hours of talks, dancing, eating and drinking, without sending a single piece of material to landfill. Sounds impossible right? Be realistic, demand the impossible.

WHEN IT COMES

The time is now. Last year, on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, 1000 people came out to celebrate the future. This summer solstice, the longest day of the year (22 Dec, 2017), we aim to double that number to 2,000. This is a day that all of our ancestors have connected with in one way or another, and we are continuing that tradition. It’s going down at the forecourt of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne.

from the sun

Using all of the profit from Off the Grid, we plan to help power the entire city, one solar project at a time. The power that is generated from the solar project will be sold back to the grid and the money then invested back into more parties. Once the city is 100% renewable, we will give that infrastructure back to the people of Melbourne.

research partner

sponsored by

partners

The palimpsest lineup

Off the Grid, will host a selection of Australia’s leading environmentalists, architects, activists, entrepreneurs and foodies on the ACCA Forecourt, to participate in a conversational style discussion whilst reinforcing Finding Infinity’s mission to connect and empower the city of Melbourne.

This is not just another conference - The Palimpsest is a platform designed to promote the exchange of ideas and innovations by exploring experts’ visions of future cities and transforming them into micro-action nowisms for you to take with you.

A 'palimpsest' is an ancient document that is rewritten and rewritten, over and over again, constantly evolving - much like cities. We invite you to engage with our speakers to create a user-generated experience, helping to shape the conference in the real-time.

To sweeten the deal, Off the Grid has partnered with the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects to provide Continuing Professional Development points for architects who attend.

Alison Rowe [Moreland Energy Foundation]

Alison Rowe is the CEO of Moreland Energy Foundation Limited, a Melbourne-based organisation with a unique pedigree in community solar and social impact activity. She has been in the sustainability field for over 14 years with global responsibility for strategy development, program design and delivery, product development, consulting, marketing and advocacy. Alison has worked in all three sectors with experience across a range of industries.

Alison is also the Chair of the Future Business Council and recently she was a Non-Executive Director of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council Australia, Climate Alliance and Public Utility Challenge.

She completed the Business and Environment program through Cambridge University, holds an MBA and Postgraduate Diploma in Technology Management and is a Williamson Fellow.

Alison is a respected thought leader and was named Business Leader of the Year by Climate Alliance in 2013.

Amy Roberts [Vege Threads]

Amy is the founder of organic basics label Vege Threads. From both an environmental and ethical perspective, Vege Threads seeks to encourage its audience to think about what truly goes into a piece of clothing. The brand is part of a worldwide movement to place accountability at the heart of manufacturing through local supply chains and brand transparency. Through VT, Amy works on a new business model, bringing together a community of creatives interested in sustainability, as well as good design and style.

Clare cousins

Establishing her Melbourne practice, Clare Cousins Architects, in 2005, Clare has since forged a practice recognised for design excellence in residential, cultural, interior and furniture design. Engaged in projects large and small, the studio explores experientially rich architecture that celebrates simple domestic ritual whilst curating newfound relationships with the surrounding context and landscape.

Clare is actively involved in the broader design community and is an inaugural investor in Nightingale, supporting the landmark triple bottom line development model for its social and sustainable benefits. Clare is now undertaking her own Nightingale project.

Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley MBE [City of Melbourne]

Cr Nicolas Frances Gilley first worked in the corporate world of hospitality and stock broking in the United Kingdom. He started the Furniture Resource Centre and built this into the UK’s leading social enterprise organisation, providing assistance and employment opportunities to homeless people. For this, he was awarded the MBE.

In 1996 he was ordained an Anglican priest and two years later he emigrated to Australia where he was the CEO of the Brotherhood of St Laurence from 1998 to 2004. This work earned him an Australian Centenary Medal.

In 2004 Cr Frances Gilley founded and led for-profit environmental and social purpose businesses Easy Being Green and Cool nrg International. These businesses have worked with Governments, the World Bank, UNFCCC, global financial institutions and some of Europe’s leading companies to develop and deliver groundbreaking climate and antipoverty programs globally.

Cr Frances Gilley also works with and advises a range of startups in IT and the arts. He was one of the first 30 social entrepreneurs selected to join the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum. Cr Frances Gilley is Council’s Chair of the Transport portfolio and Deputy Chair of the Aboriginal City portfolio. He is also the Council representative on the Metropolitan Transport Forum.

Courtney Holm [A.BCH]

Courtney is the founder of A.BCH, Australia's first fashion label centred on total transparency in an effort to provide honestly engineered, designer basics for global, conscious citizens. A.BCH provides a simple solution to complex issues within the fashion industry.

From sourcing sustainable fibres, threads and components to advocating local manufacturing, Courtney is passionate about seeing change in the industry for good. Courtney believes that upholding ethical and environmental standards need not be separate from running a profitable business and in fact that social-impact business is the way of the future. A.BCH launched in February 2017.

Ella Saurus [PSYKLZ ClubSport]

Growing up on the southeast coast of Victoria and having a 12 month stint of living solo in the Dandenong Ranges propelled Ella into sustainability, not only in her lifestyle but in her chosen passion too. An RMIT Fashion Design Graduate (2013) and an advocate for the environment, she is one year into her newest project PSYKLZ ClubSport - a socially and environmentally sustainable, zero-waste recycled fashion label. Inspired by her formative years on her parents’ self sustainable property, the co-creation of two of Melbourne’s major club events (Pleasure Planet, BEAUT) and her love of dance and music culture ranging the past 30 years, PSYKLZ (pronounced ‘cycles’) aims to start the conversation about the origins of clothing. By sourcing everything from op-shops, markets and the odd donation, Ella solely creates one-offs that have personality and integrity without the environmental or humanitarian price tag.

Erin Rhoads [The Rogue Ginger]

Erin Rhoads is the curious lady behind The Rogue Ginger, Australia's popular eco-lifestyle website on zero-waste living. A sought-after writer and speaker, Erin has inspired others to think differently about plastic and rubbish, proving that living with less can lead to a happier and healthier life.

JAMES BROWN [MASH]

James Brown is a rule breaker; creating award-winning work internationally. He believes that every project is an opportunity to explore how creativity can shape our existence. Exhibiting his "art-chitecture" and design in the SFMoMA, to bars in Hong Kong to his hand-painted masterpiece, Motel Mexicola in Bali. His colourful restaurant Africola is regarded as one of the best in Australia and he was recognised in GT Top 50 Most Influential People in Food. His goal is to create places that bring people together and contribute to a community with colour, fun, and energy. We love James, you will too.

James Murray-Parkes [BROOKFIELD]

James is the director and founder of Scientific. His passion is to ensure that physics is applied at the heart of the design process, thereby introducing efficiencies and helping to reduce the negative impact on the environment. He specialises in unique bespoke designs and mathematical innovations, constantly challenging the status quo.

Jessie Hochberg [Nightingale Housing]

Jessie is a co-founder and CEO of Nightingale Housing - a not-for-profit social enterprise that exists to support, promote and advocate for high-quality housing that is ecologically, socially, financially sustainable. Jessie jumped into the start-up social enterprise space after working across Creative Victoria, as a Senior Policy and Strategy Adviser and within the Strategic Infrastructure Project team.

She's passionate about the opportunity for the emerging democratisation of the financing sector to positively influence the development of urban environments. While working in government, Jessie completed an MBA with Distinction. Jessie has recently spoken and chaired panels at Purpose conference SYD, Remix Conference QLD, Fifth Estate’s Hacking Housing Event SYD.

Joost Bakker [Brothl, SILO]

Joost Bakker is an environmental visionary turning radical ideas into reality. His installations, artworks and pop-up buildings demand attention and spark change. He is known for creating Australia’s first zero-waste cafe (Brothl), ‘Greenhouse’ pop up cafes in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and building fire resistant houses from 100% recyclable materials. His ideas have been widely praised, shared and appropriated all around the world.

Kate Nicolazzo [Positive Charge]

Kate is the Head of Business Development at the Moreland Energy Foundation where she is responsible for finding new ways and new partnerships to help speed up the energy transition to a zero carbon future.Before moving into this exciting role, Kate was the manager of Positive Charge, helping households, schools, businesses and community organisations save money, energy and carbon. Prior to joining the Positive Charge team Kate has worked across the community and private sectors in a variety of roles focused on health, climate change and sustainability in the past 15 years. She was the CEO of the Yarra Energy Foundation and General Manager for Sustainability and Innovation at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She has also spent time managing her own consulting business – specialising in strategic planning and program development for organisations and individuals, achieving great social and environmental outcomes. Kate has also been Treasurer and Secretary for Beyond Zero Emissions and regularly mentors Fellows from the Centre for Sustainability Leadership.

Kristy Richards [The Lab Strategy]

Kristy is an expert in consumer and cultural insight. Working as a brand strategist for the last 14 years, she has had the opportunity to travel the world solving brand challenges.Kristy leads The Lab Strategy’s Annual Cultural Report, which identifies big cultural shifts that are impacting society. This requires her to continuously scan sources of cultural influence to gain new perspectives and ideas that can be leveraged to carve out stronger, more profitable brand futures.

Recently, Kristy has lead cultural pieces on: the evolution of masculinity, what it means to be truly authentic in an increasingly commoditised world and the future of female health and wellness. She also leads The Lab's Big Picture Cultural Conference, which has tackled subjects such as Man vs. Machine.

Linda Kennedy [Future Black]

Linda Kennedy, a Yuin woman from the South Coast of NSW, is the creator of Future Black design studio, established in 2017. With a foundation on Linda's manifesto titled Future Black - Decolonising Design in Australia's Built Environment (2014), her work advocates for and practices an overall shift in design process, design thinking and design practice to place value on Indigenous ways of knowing and doing as an integral priority whereby Country and community come first in all projects of design within the built environment.

Martin Buoncristiani [KPMG]

Martin Buoncristiani is a physicist and applied mathematician working in both academia and industry. His research with NASA focused on energy conversion, laser physics and modeling and simulation of complex systems. His academic research has centered on the propagation of light in complex media and the quantum optical properties of lasers. He was awarded the NASA Public Service Award for significant contributions to NASA’s advanced solid state laser development programs. These varied experiences enable him to analyze complex systems and model them mathematically. He has a passion for innovation and furthering the knowledge of those around him.

Michael Alvisse [Schamburg + Alvisse]

Michael, a sustainable furniture designer with a background in architecture, shares stories of how his very very small business built a niche greening the supply chains of very big businesses like Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and KPMG.His work has been acquired by the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria and the Powerhouse Museum, and exhibited in Milan’s Triennale Museum and Silicon Valley’s San Jose of Modern Art.

Michael Markham [tUG Workshop]

Michael Markham is an architect, born in North Queensland and trained in Chicago in the 1980s. He holds a M.Arch from the University of Illinois, and was awarded the Schiff Prize from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1989. In 1994, back in Australia, he founded FIELD Consultants with Peter Brew—which won both the 2000 RAIA Victorian Architecture Medal and the Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Michael’s own home, Holyoake Cottage. In 2006, Michael, along with Peter Steudle, a chemical engineer, initiated tUG workshop—a group of experts in materials, engineering, history and design, all focused on unsustainable anti-environmentalism. In 2015, tUG won the AIA Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Bethanga House. Michael’s work at both FIELD and tUG has been published in two of Australia’s leading industry journals: Architecture Review and Monument.

Michelle Isles [sustainable solutions]

As Senior Programs and Relationships Manager for Sustainability, Michelle's role within the City of Melbourne focuses on the development of innovative long term strategies, programs and projects that deliver on Melbourne's Eco City vision. This role includes leading Melbourne's 1200 Buildings Program, which aims to catalyse the environmental retrofit of two thirds of the city's existing commercial building stock by 2020. If successful, the program will improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings by at least 38% to achieve savings of 383,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Trained as a journalist in commerce/communication, environment policy and management, Michelle has worked in both local policy, consulting and international climate change roles. As Manager of Global Sustainability at RMIT University, Michelle worked to embed sustainability practice into operations and teaching and drew together diverse research interests to deliver energy management, carbon reduction and behaviour change programs. Michelle has consulted with Victoria's healthcare and manufacturing sectors to improve resource efficiency, facilitated delivery of clean technology projects in South East Asia and supported climate mitigation programs across Australia, New Zealand and in Indonesia.

Monique Conheady [Moreland Energy Foundation]

Monique Conheady is an experienced entrepreneur and marketer. She co-founded Flexicar, a car share business she sold to Hertz in 2010. Post the sale of Flexicar, Monique joined the Executive Management Team of Hertz Australia and New Zealand, leading the marketing department.In 2009, she was awarded the Victorian Telstra Business Women Private Sector Award. She is also a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and is an Australia Day Ambassador. Monique is passionate about new ways of doing business that are financially, socially and environmentally sustainable.Monique was previously an Associate of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, and is currently Director of Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and Commissioner at the Taxi Services Commission.Monique holds a Bachelor of Engineering & Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Centre for Sustainability Leadership Fellow.

Prof. Yu Bai (Barry) [Monash University]

Prof. Yu Bai (Barry) received his PhD in Structures from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL, Switzerland. He is currently working in the Department of Civil Engineering of Monash University with both teaching and research roles. His researches look into environmentally friendly construction materials such as fibre composites for structural design and construction, and give focuses on structural fundamentals which feed into modular construction methodologies and multifunctional integration design concepts.

Rob Murray-Leach [Energy Efficiency Council]

Rob has an extensive background in climate change, energy, transport and sustainability, having been an author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review and senior policy expert in the South Australian Government. His academic background from Oxford and Adelaide focussed on behaviour and sustainability, and he has contributed to a number of texts in this field.Founding CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council, Rob now leads the Council’s policy and advocacy activities, working with members and governments to inform the development of robust and cost-effective energy efficiency policies and programs in Australia.

Roj Amedi

Roj Amedi is a writer, editor and strategist. Her work is cross-disciplinary in nature, with experience across public policy, publishing, editorial, marketing and design. She works within the intersection of culture, community and politics.

Taryn Lane [Hepburn Wind]

Taryn Lane is the manager of Australia's first community-owned wind farm Hepburn Wind, a co-operative of just over 2000 members located in Daylesford. The two turbine wind farm generates enough power for over 2000 homes and are leading their local Shire's transition to 100% renewable by 2025. She is passionate about enabling communities to make a positive transition to a clean energy future. In addition she works for Embark Australia mentoring other communities to build their own energy projects as well as developing resources, undertaking research and policy development for various governments. Taryn is a founding director of the Australian Wind Alliance, Chair of the Coalition for Community Energy (C4CE) and was awarded a 2017 Churchill Fellowship.

Timothy Hill [Partners Hill]

Previously director of Donovan Hill, Timothy Hill recently returned to Australia and established Partners Hill to continue participating in building, researching, advocating and teaching. His prior experience in collaborations has yielded the C house, D house, HH House, State Library of Queensland, Santos Place, Cornwall Apartments, Translational Research Institute and the soon to be demolished Neville Bonner Building. Current work with Partners Hill includes the Long House (Daylesford) and with Wilson Architects, the University of Queensland Student Residences Project, for 1200 students (Brisbane). Timothy was Creative Director of the 2007 RAIA National Conference, introducing a more ‘lounge-like’ format and boosting student participation. He has spoken at conference events globally, and consulted, deliberated on juries and taught in most Australian cities. Current preoccupations include non-family housing, post-white-cube galleries, civic landscapes, historical architectural styles and the scope for interior design in Australia.

Music + art line up

JAY DANIEL (USA)

Jay Daniel has become one of the leading artists in the latest generation of Detroit electronic music-makers. In the five years he has been on the scene, he released the Scorpio Rising EP on Theo Parrish; Sound Signature Records, Karmatic Equations on Kyle Hall’s Wild Oats Music, and featured on Funkineven’s Abyss, all in2014; all while gig-hopping from New York to London, Japan to Australia, and all points in between.In 2015, Jay took it to the next level with the creation of his own record label, WatusiHigh, releasing his first EP, School Dance. 2016 sees him releasing his debut full length “Broken Knowz” via Technicolour, theNinja Tune sub label geared more specifically towards left field house and techno. The nine-track LP "signals a departure from Jay’s previous output says the label. “Disillusioned with the constraints of drum programming, he retreated to his mother’s basement, picked up his drumsticks and started recording into a multi track mixer for the first time.”

CHEE SHIMIZU (JP)

Tokyo based DJ, selector, writer, owner of record shop and several labels, and an authority of obscure records. Chee was one of the first DJs in Japan to introduce experimental disco, cosmic and leftfield sounds to the country’s dancefloors. In 2008, Chee launched his own online record store,’Organic Music’. The store is a meticulous curation of the hard to find, genre-spanning releases that Chee has been introducing to his various audiences over the years, both in Japan and further afield. In 2013, Chee had his first publication “Obscure Sound” book. The disc guide includes 640 record reviews with beautifully composed imagery. In 2015, Chee started his own label ‘17853 Records’. The label is releasing vinyl by borderless artists like Riccardo Sinigaglia in Italy, Synth Sisters, Miyako Koda from Dip In The Pool, and the pioneer of Japanese ambient music Hiroshi Yoshimura. In 2016, Chee launched ‘Japanism’ label with HMV Japan, and released ‘80s obscure Japanese music like Colored Music, Aragon, and compilation album for Better Days label. Chee continues to champion the music of his native Japan. Chee has always maintained his interest in the more experimental end of the musical spectrum.

BEN FESTER

Everyone's a DJ but let's be honest, not everyone is Ben Fester ­ one of the most likeable characters on the Australian circuit and an absolute madman on the decks.With a mutating style of unrelenting quality, Fester has made his mark in esteemed company, supporting Detroit monoliths Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Omar S and Kyle Hall, the Mood Hut massive and top selectors Floating Points and Ben UFO. Denouncing Sydney's inane lockout laws, his regularparties with the Heavenly crew have given hope to the city while you can also hear his hometown commitment every Thursday afternoon on FBI FM, alongside co­host Kato. He's welcomed with open arms across state borders, having played Inner Varnika, three years of Strawberry Fields, legendary Melbourne club The Mercat and Perth leisureplex Connections.

DIANAS

Dianas are Caitlin Moloney, Nathalie Pavlovic and Anetta Nevin, originally from Perth and now firmly planted in Melbourne. First appearing on the live circuit in their hometown in 2013 with freshly learnt instruments and a handful of garage pop songs, the trio write catchy, dreamy songs that take you floating away to another place. A couple more EPs, an album, a brief hiatus and a few lineup changes later - 2017 is seeing the band truly coming into their own. Dianas live show is a raw and driving whirlpool of pulsating drums and siren song vocal harmonies, with interweaving bass and guitar melodies creating a sound that’s both spacey and intricate.

JAALA

Refusing to be pinned down to any one trope, Cosima Jaala, in her new incarnation Jaala Vs Man, breathes her own idiosyncratic understanding of music into electronic experimentation. By putting aside the alternative rock sounds of her band Jaala, JVM instead sees her favouring alien and haunting soundscapes. Jaala's trademark poetic caw is layered in and around dissonant compositions that present a burgeoning step in her musical chronology.

KAIIT

Hailing from southeast Melbourne, the young songstress has been singing for as long as she can remember. Born in Papua New Guinea, Kaiit bounced back and forth between Australia and her homeland as a child before her family eventually settled down in Melbourne. She grew up listening to alternative music, with her parents embracing the likes of Pink Floyd. Kaiit is blessed with an enchanting voice that crosses musical boundaries. Her love for jazz and neo-soul is evident in her music, drawing upon inspiration from her idols Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and the contemporary sounds of Noname Gypsy and SZA. Kaiit’s artistic background in both beauty and fashion is apparent in her inimitable style and edgy aesthetic. Her pursuit into music is recent, becoming involved in the Arts Centre Melbourne’s agship hip-hop and urban music mentoring program Dig Deep where she met mentor Momo from Diafrix and began to learn more about the industry.

KRAKATAU

Krakatau was formed by friends James, Tom and Dylan Lieberman in late2010 with a common interest in the free form side of late 60’s/early 70s psychedelic music, progressive rock and keyboard dominated soundtrack music. As time has passed the influences have shifted in direction of long form jazz composition, minimal music and more progressive left field sounds.2016 saw a frenzied obsession with the blistering release of Tharsis Montes/Apogean Tide 12” on Growing Bin Records, after which the self-described ‘totalitarian sci-fi meets public access jazz band' went on to headline Western Australian festival Camp Doogs and tour the east coast in2017. Krakatau has always been a performance-based group that while influenced by a large amount of music from the past, the band apply these influences with a self-aware modern ear that intern helps creates music that’s more thanjust mimicry and simulacra.

TWO STEPS ON THE WATER

Two Steps on the water is an emotion punk band working and creating on Wurundjeri land. Lyrics about front woman June Jones' experience navigating the world as a trans woman with a history of PTSD are whispered, crooned, and screamed over a backdrop of nylon string guitar, violin, organ, bass, and drums. The band has spent the last three years perfecting a live performance that is half tragic, half invigorating, and 100% emotional.

TONI YOTZI

The responsible fire-starter Toni Yotzi’s recent relocation to Melbourne has seen parties across the city get a taste of that West Coast Heat TM .As comfortable soundtracking fine dining as she is a sweaty dance floor, you might hear anything from90s breaks to memphis rap to soft rock. The ever hard working Yotzi has cemented herself as a permanent fixture of Melbourne’s DJ community playing weekly across venues and parties like Lost Weekend, Lazerpig and the Mercat.

Her musical obsession has seen her create the inimitable Deep Doogs sunrise rave atCamp Doogs, Day Woo Sundays and host some of her favourite artists like Noise InMy Head, Kenji Takimi, DJ Nozaki and Zanzibar Chanel.In 2016 Yotzi has provided guest mixes for Cooper Saver’s: Far Away Radio on Dublab Los Angeles, New York’s The Lot Radio and CC Disco’s Smoke & Mirrors with projects on the way for Sanpo Disco and Beanie’s. After presenting on RTRFM’s signature dance, ethno and disco programs for the last 5 years, she’s found a newhome on Triple R Melbourne.

SOMA

SOMA is a dance theatre work that inquires into the notion of an embodied past, considering cultural, social and personal histories and how they influence our present moment. How does the body act as archive? How do our relative histories shape our habitual or performed physicality? How does our physicality in the present shape our memories of the past and intuitions about the future?

Conceived by choreographer/dancer Ogemdi Ude (USA) and composer/sound artist Jack Palmer (Melb), SOMA uses sound and movement as analogy to challenge performers and audiences alike to investigate the stories that bring us into our bodies.

Jack Palmer is a Melbourne based artist, musician and composer working primarily in a digital environment. His work seeks to explore sound and musical sound as a direct means of invoking hidden psychological states. He currently performs and produces music under the moniker Bad Ambulance and collaborates regularly with local and interstate musicians on a variety of sound/music based projects.

Ogemdi Ude is a Nigerian-American choreographer, director, and performer currently based in Melbourne. Her interdisciplinary performance practice uses improvised scoring to generate text and movement that focuses on issues of race, memory, and trauma. She has worked and trained extensively across the mediums of theatre and dance in New York and Berlin.

eats + drinks line up

Adam James [Rough Rice]

Adam has been involved in the flavour-making business for over 20 years. He has justreturned to Australian shores after a 9 week Churchill Fellowship ‘world fermentation tour’which took him from monasteries in Korea to the kitchens of Copenhagen with stops inremote villages in China, Italy and Japan along the way.

He set up Rough Rice 4 years ago as a fermentation-based enterprise but soon started doingpop-ups around Tasmania, including regular appearances at MONA and its affiliated festivals.Expect to eat the very best of locally sourced seasonal produce, homemade ferments – andyes, rice.

FRESH FORK CATERING

Paul Mattei ​is the owner and operator of Fresh Fork catering. His passion for food extends to organic, ethical and sustainably sourced produce and combines a flair for creativity and clever design. Paul has extensive knowledge of food in relation to health and wellbeing and lectures on the subject for a number of retreat centres and wellbeing events around Australia. He is also the brains behind many health branded products having worked with companies such as Loving Earth and Botanical Cuisine. RAW PEOPLE is his newest venture with a promise to create the best chocolate bars in the world!!! We can’t wait!!

MILNE’S ZERO WASTE BAR

Back for Off the Grid 2017, Milne’s zero-waste bar will keep the drinks flowing from start till end, all whilst sending nothing to landfill.

STORM IN A TEACUP

Hannah Dupree owns Melbourne based tea company Storm in a Teacup. She loves, learns and shares both Chinese and Japanese style tea ceremony. She regularly travels to origin to learn more about tea in the field and she takes sabbaticals in nature to learn directly from tea as plant medicine. Hannah sees tea and the rituals that surround it, as a complete spiritual practice that creates a reciprocal relationship of love between people, animals, plants and planet. It is a life journey, an art form, a profound way to connect with each other and a container for meaning in our lives today.

COFFEE BY CAM’S

Cam's Kiosk has been quietly making tasty soups, traditional sandwiches and in-season salads since 2009. By day, Cam’s is a favourite coffee bar for locals, while in the evenings, Cam’s turns into a bar, where you can often find tenants having a knock-off drink after work.

Getting there

TRAM

Route 1 travels past Flinders Street Station, along Sturt Street and straight to ACCA’s front door. Alight at Stop 18. Routes 3, 5, 16, 64, 67, 72 all travel along St Kilda Road. Alight at Stop No. 17 on the corner of St. Kilda Road and Grant Street. ACCA is a 2 minute walk to the end of Grant Street.

train

Arrive at Flinders Street, and walk across Princes Bridge, up St Kilda Road, turning right at Grant Street. Here’s the walking route on Google Maps.

bike

Bike racks are located right out the front of ACCA on Sturt Street.

access

The ACCA Forecourt is fully wheelchair accessible, with two disabled parking spaces just outside the entrance on Sturt Street. Inside ACCA’s gallery, there is a wheelchair accessible bathroom.

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Off the Grid acknowledges the Boon Wurrung as the traditional owners and sovereign custodians of the land on which ACCA is situated, along with the Wurundjeri and all Kulin Nations, and we extend our respects to their ancestors and elders past and present, and to all First Nations people